Lynn Ferguson
Encyclopedia
Lynn Ferguson is a Scottish
writer
, actress, comedienne and presenter
. She is the sister of comedian Craig Ferguson
and is known for voicing the character of Mac in the animated film, Chicken Run
.
. She was the youngest of four and, like her sister, was Senior Prefect
at Cumbernauld High School
. She left school at the age of 18 and worked one season as a Bluecoat for Pontin's
. She was then accepted at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
where she gained a BA
in Dramatic Studies in 1986.
To work as a professional actress, however, she required an Equity union card which was at that point only available through paid work, so with fellow student Carolyn Bonnyman she formed the Alexander Sisters - a comedy double act in honour of / parodying traditional Scottish variety styles typified by the Alexander Brothers. She was then side tracked into standup comedy doing her first paid gig on STV’s Funny Farm. Before long she gained residence as compere
at the Red Rose Comedy Club in Finsbury Park, London
and continued to perform at numerous gigs throughout the UK.
Though a standup comic
at night, Ferguson was also writing and presenting for BBC Scotland
’s children’s program Megamag. She played a comedy character journalist Fergski who blundered through interviewing teen artists of that era - Ant & Dec
, Aswad (band) and Michelle Gayle
. In one episode a spritely Phill Jupitus
dresses as a security guard stops Fergski interviewing East 17
at the now defunct Top of the Pops
set.
In 1995, she was commissioned to write an hour of standup comedy for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
but instead wrote her first play, Heart and Sole. This solo show won her the Stage Award for Acting Excellence
and transferred to the Hampstead Theatre
before being toured to Hong Kong
and Melbourne
.
She is married to Mark Tweddle, a civil servant and previously a management consultant. The couple have two sons .
:
three series (18 episodes) of the popular sitcom
Millport
, various pieces for Woman's Hour
including a series of updated fairy tales called After Happy Ever alongside afternoon plays and late night standup monologues.
For BBC Radio Scotland
she wrote and presented a series exploring the minds of comedy writers, Laughed Off the Page, interviewing Colin Bostock-Smith, Galton and Simpson
, Ian Pattison
, Dick Vosburgh
.
For TV, she has written half hour pilots for BBC Two
and BBC Scotland
and a half hour short film for Channel 4
.
A regular contributor to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, eight of her plays have been produced there and she has won a Fringe First Award from The Scotsman
.
As well as her performance pieces, she has written various columns for publications including The Scotsman
, The Stage
, Time Out, The Big Issue
and The Herald (Glasgow)
.
She has been writing for The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
, her brother's American chat programme, since October 2008.
she has been nominated twice. In addition to her own written works, she has performed in theatre extensively.
Ferguson toured with the Royal National Theatre
in the lead part, Shen Te/ Shui Ta, of the Bertolt Brecht
play The Good Woman of Setzuan
and played the lead in the Traverse Theatre
production of Douglas Maxwell
’s Melody.
Vocally, she has numerous credits for radio works and notably played Mac in the film Chicken Run
.
For TV she performed regular parts for the Channel 4
, comedy drama No Angels
and Ben Elton
’s BBC1 sitcom
Blessed
, as well as appearances in The Catherine Tate Show
and The Bill
amongst others.
Ferguson has film credits for Honest and Chicken Run
.
.
In addition, she has been a contestant on the challenging BBC Radio 4
panel game
shows Just a Minute
, Loose Ends
and Banter
.
In April and September 2008, she made guest appearances on her brother Craig's talk show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, actress, comedienne and presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
. She is the sister of comedian Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson is a Scottish American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, and producer. He is the host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, an Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show that airs on CBS...
and is known for voicing the character of Mac in the animated film, Chicken Run
Chicken Run
Chicken Run is a 2000 British stop-motion animation film made by the Aardman Animations studios, the production studio of the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit films...
.
Early life
Ferguson grew up in CumbernauldCumbernauld
Cumbernauld is a Scottish new town in North Lanarkshire. It was created in 1956 as a population overspill for Glasgow City. It is the eighth most populous settlement in Scotland and the largest in North Lanarkshire...
. She was the youngest of four and, like her sister, was Senior Prefect
Senior Prefect
Senior Prefects are a variant form of prefect taken by students in the British education system.In some British schools the student body or the head teacher appoints a member of the highest grade or form to perform a series of duties to help the organisation of the school. Normally a few select...
at Cumbernauld High School
Cumbernauld High School
Cumbernauld High School was the first comprehensive secondary school in the then 'New Town' of Cumbernauld. It opened in 1964 and is a non-denominational, co-educational, secondary school...
. She left school at the age of 18 and worked one season as a Bluecoat for Pontin's
Pontin's
Pontins is a British holiday business which was originally founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays with regular entertainment on offer. Accommodation is usually in the form of chalets. The company once grew to be a major operator of...
. She was then accepted at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a conservatoire of music, drama, and dance in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Educational Association, it is the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland...
where she gained a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Dramatic Studies in 1986.
To work as a professional actress, however, she required an Equity union card which was at that point only available through paid work, so with fellow student Carolyn Bonnyman she formed the Alexander Sisters - a comedy double act in honour of / parodying traditional Scottish variety styles typified by the Alexander Brothers. She was then side tracked into standup comedy doing her first paid gig on STV’s Funny Farm. Before long she gained residence as compere
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
at the Red Rose Comedy Club in Finsbury Park, London
Finsbury Park, London
Finsbury Park is an area in north London, England which grew up around an important railway interchange at the junction of the London Boroughs of Islington, Haringey and Hackney...
and continued to perform at numerous gigs throughout the UK.
Though a standup comic
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
at night, Ferguson was also writing and presenting for BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
’s children’s program Megamag. She played a comedy character journalist Fergski who blundered through interviewing teen artists of that era - Ant & Dec
Ant & Dec
Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly , known collectively as Ant & Dec, are an English comedy and TV presenting duo from Newcastle upon Tyne, England...
, Aswad (band) and Michelle Gayle
Michelle Gayle
Michelle Patricia Gayle is a British recording artist, actress and author. Gayle had success as a Soul and R&B singer in the 1990s. She achieved seven Top 40 singles in the UK Singles Chart, her two biggest hits to date being "Sweetness" and "Do You Know"...
. In one episode a spritely Phill Jupitus
Phill Jupitus
Phillip Christopher Jupitus is an English stand-up and improvised comedian, actor, performance poet, musician and podcaster....
dresses as a security guard stops Fergski interviewing East 17
East 17
East 17 are a pop boy band comprising Tony Mortimer, John Hendy and Terry Coldwell. Tony Mortimer is the group's frontman and primary songwriter. Formed in Walthamstow, London in 1991, the group have achieved eighteen Top 20 singles and four Top 10 albums, and were one of the UK's most popular boy...
at the now defunct Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
set.
In 1995, she was commissioned to write an hour of standup comedy for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
but instead wrote her first play, Heart and Sole. This solo show won her the Stage Award for Acting Excellence
Stage Awards for Acting Excellence
The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence are a set of Scottish theatre awards which were established in 1995 to recognise outstanding theatre performances by individuals and companies on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Organised by theatrical newspaper The Stage, the initial award categories of Best...
and transferred to the Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in the vicinity of Swiss Cottage and Belsize Park, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. In 2009 it celebrates its 50 year anniversary.The original theatre was...
before being toured to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
She is married to Mark Tweddle, a civil servant and previously a management consultant. The couple have two sons .
Writer
Ferguson has written extensively for BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
:
three series (18 episodes) of the popular sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Millport
Millport (radio show)
Millport was a radio situation comedy, initially broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and frequently repeated on BBC Radio 7. It starred Lynn Ferguson and Janet Brown. The show is set in a surreal version of the only town, Millport, on the island of Great Cumbrae in the River Clyde Estuary, taking small-town...
, various pieces for Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour is a radio magazine programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom.-History:Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by Alan Ivimey the programme was first broadcast on 7 October 1946 on the BBC's Light Programme . It was transferred to its current home in 1973...
including a series of updated fairy tales called After Happy Ever alongside afternoon plays and late night standup monologues.
For BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
she wrote and presented a series exploring the minds of comedy writers, Laughed Off the Page, interviewing Colin Bostock-Smith, Galton and Simpson
Galton and Simpson
Ray Galton OBE , and Alan Simpson OBE , are British scriptwriters who met in 1948 at a tuberculosis sanatorium, the Surrey county sanatorium near Godalming, on which the sitcom Get Well Soon was based...
, Ian Pattison
Ian Pattison
Ian Pattison is a Scottish writer who lives in Glasgow, most famous for writing the 10 series of the sitcom Rab C Nesbitt. He also wrote the 1995 to 1996 sitcom Atletico Partick; the six-episode series Breeze Block starring Tim Healy which aired on BBC Choice in 2002, and he created and co-wrote...
, Dick Vosburgh
Dick Vosburgh
Richard Kennedy "Dick" Vosburgh was an American-born comedy writer and lyricist working chiefly in Britain....
.
For TV, she has written half hour pilots for BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
and BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
and a half hour short film for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
.
A regular contributor to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, eight of her plays have been produced there and she has won a Fringe First Award from The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
.
As well as her performance pieces, she has written various columns for publications including The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
, The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
, Time Out, The Big Issue
The Big Issue
The Big Issue is a street newspaper published in eight countries; it is written by professional journalists and sold by homeless individuals. It was founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991...
and The Herald (Glasgow)
The Herald (Glasgow)
The Herald is a broadsheet newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, and available throughout Scotland. As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 47,226, giving it a lead over Scotland's other 'quality' national daily, The Scotsman, published in Edinburgh.The 1889 to 1906 editions...
.
She has been writing for The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
, her brother's American chat programme, since October 2008.
Actress
As well as winning the Stage Award for Acting ExcellenceStage Awards for Acting Excellence
The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence are a set of Scottish theatre awards which were established in 1995 to recognise outstanding theatre performances by individuals and companies on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Organised by theatrical newspaper The Stage, the initial award categories of Best...
she has been nominated twice. In addition to her own written works, she has performed in theatre extensively.
Ferguson toured with the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in the lead part, Shen Te/ Shui Ta, of the Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
play The Good Woman of Setzuan
The Good Person of Szechwan
The Good Person of Szechwan is a play written by the German theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht, in collaboration with Margarete Steffin and Ruth Berlau. The play was begun in 1938 but not completed until 1943, while the author was in exile in the United States...
and played the lead in the Traverse Theatre
Traverse Theatre
The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963.The Traverse Theatre commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary playwrights. It also presents a large number of productions from visiting companies from across the UK. These include new plays,...
production of Douglas Maxwell
Douglas Maxwell
Douglas Maxwell is an award-winning Scottish playwright, whose work has been performed throughout Scotland, the UK and abroad....
’s Melody.
Vocally, she has numerous credits for radio works and notably played Mac in the film Chicken Run
Chicken Run
Chicken Run is a 2000 British stop-motion animation film made by the Aardman Animations studios, the production studio of the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit films...
.
For TV she performed regular parts for the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, comedy drama No Angels
No Angels (TV series)
No Angels is a critically acclaimed British television comedy drama series, produced by the independent production company World Productions for Channel 4, which ran for three seasons from 2004 to 2006. It was devised by Toby Whithouse.-Premise:...
and Ben Elton
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV....
’s BBC1 sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Blessed
Blessed (TV series)
Blessed was a BBC television sitcom written by Ben Elton and starring Ardal O'Hanlon as Gary, a record producer, who is struggling to bring up two small children...
, as well as appearances in The Catherine Tate Show
The Catherine Tate Show
The Catherine Tate Show is a British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate and Aschlin Ditta. Tate also stars in all but one of the show's sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. The Catherine Tate Show airs on BBC Two and is shown worldwide through the BBC...
and The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
amongst others.
Ferguson has film credits for Honest and Chicken Run
Chicken Run
Chicken Run is a 2000 British stop-motion animation film made by the Aardman Animations studios, the production studio of the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit films...
.
As herself
Ferguson has presented a number of programs including, Doing the Festival for STV and XS, an arts program for the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
In addition, she has been a contestant on the challenging BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
panel game
Panel game
A panel game or panel show is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Panelists may compete with each other, such as on The News Quiz; facilitate play by guest contestants, such as on Match Game/Blankety Blank; or do both, such as on Wait Wait.....
shows Just a Minute
Just a Minute
Just a Minute is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game chaired by Nicholas Parsons. Its first transmission on Radio 4 was on 22 December 1967, three months after the station's launch. The Radio 4 programme won a Gold Sony Radio Academy Award in 2003....
, Loose Ends
Loose Ends (radio)
Loose Ends is a British radio programme originally broadcast on Saturday mornings, and then transmitted early Saturday evenings from 1998 by BBC Radio 4. It was hosted by Ned Sherrin until he became ill in late 2006 with a reported throat infection, and later throat cancer...
and Banter
Banter (radio show)
Banter is a radio programme that is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the UK, starring Andrew Collins and Richard Herring. The pilot and the first 2 series were broadcast from August 2005 to November 2006, and a third series was broadcast in April and May 2008. There have been 19 half-hour episodes so far...
.
In April and September 2008, she made guest appearances on her brother Craig's talk show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
General
- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article516987.ece
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/aboutus/wirelesstoweb/history/
- http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/comedy/article-23432327-details/Stars+mourn+legendary+Red+Rose+Comedy+Club/article.do
- http://www.radiolistings.co.uk/programmes/laughed_off_the_page.html
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0098248/